elgin street diner

thought i would give this place a shot after looking for a good place for poutine. i can definitely say that i’m happy i’ve found elgin street diner. went on a sunday morning and the placed was packed, but it didn’t take long to get a table. service was great, very attentive, friendly and so quick. the menu has a fantastic, appetizing variety. i ordered a strawberry milkshake and a breakfast club which originally came with fries but i upgraded for poutine. this plate included a side of beans that had a great smokey, barbecue flavor. the poutine was very good but does not taste like your traditional food truck poutine. the fries are on the smaller side, but perfectly golden and crispy. the gravy is dark, not too salty. the cheese curds were not squeaky (as i usually prefer them to be) but were still good. the breakfast club was also delicious. included eggs, tomato, lettuce, bacon, cheese and mayonnaise. perfect for that time when you can’t decide if you’re wanting breakfast or lunch (me!).

overall, i was genuinely impressed. service was absolutely fantastic, food was excellent. plus, this place is open 24/7! would definitely recommend.

comfort food at comfort prices. service is always on point, food is very consistent, and check out the deserts.

late night, early morning, or anytime, this place serves it fast and efficient

2018/09/30
we ate at the elgin street diner about 6 years ago, the last time swbmo and i were in ottawa together. since we liked it then, we thought we would give it another visit for lunch. we arrived around 12:30, all the tables were taken, and it was about a 10 minute wait. this is a busy place and it’s open 24 hours.

swbmo decided on the cheese burger. there were five different cheeses from which to choose, and she picked cheddar. when the plate arrived, her eyes widened when she saw the massive pile of fries with the burger. good burger, good cheese, good slaw, good fries.

i opted for the reuben club. thinly sliced montreal smoked meat, piled high between three slices of toasted rye bread, just the way i like it. along with the usual swiss cheese and sauerkraut, it made for a very good reuben.

given how busy it was, service was very good.

it is one of the the “go to” places for a meal in ottawa. their poutine and burgers are fantastic. very very good service. the dessert spread is a must try. the fact that it is open all day is just the cherry on the cake. very well priced as well.

pretty great diner, good atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff. the food is alright, pretty average diner fair and the portions are really great (i don't think i've been able to finish my food any of the times i've gone). it's really great for a late night or early morning snack, but not someplace i'd personally go out of my way for.

my wife and i moved out of downtown ottawa a few years back-- esd was a place we frequented regularly. we were downtown tonight and decided to place a take out order--two chicken caesar salads and a piece of chocolate layer cake. this was my treat meal for the week.

we got home, i opened up the packaging and found what looked like a half-eaten piece of cake.

i emailed them about it--obviously upset.

their response:

"with only the picture to go by, i am assuming you are upset that the cake got jostled either going into the box or during transport and a piece broke off?"

yeah, no-- i'm upset because your served me what looks like something someone else left behind after their meal!.

while they've offered me a gift card, they did so without apology (honestly all i wanted) as service goes, i'd say this ranks about as low as i've seen in recent years. they've had the chance to make it right and chose to take the low road-- oh well.

ambiance is ok. clean and well-maintained. our server was not very friendly. the service was slow even though it was not so busy. it was not worth the wait. the food did not taste very good. it was my first and last time.

having been to a few of ottawa's iconic restaurants this was one from the list. we were staying nearby and we had picked up kids from the airport and it was almost midnight and none of us had dinner and were hungry and tired. as this was close by we decided to cross this one off the list.

the restaurant a bit busy at midnight but were seated right away. ordered a veggie cheeseburger with fries, a veggie burger with veggie soup, a poutine and a grilled eggplant sandwich with no cheese and fries with on side gravy.

the sandwich on rye was ok. could have used some more flavour and eggplant seemed a bit underdone. the fries - why do they have to use these thin almost shore string fries? we do not like them! the fries were a bit over done. the gravy perhaps with cheese tastes great, but with just fries not so much.

the veggie hamburgers not meaty, but fairly good. not the best, but good. the soup seemed a bit sour perhaps the tomatoes from can? but not bad.

the poutine good as well. the gravy does seem odd, but on poutine it tastes ok.

for a 24 restaurant this is good food.

eggs benedict were excellent. my friend had the poutine breakfast which i tasted and i really liked their poutine!!! the service was a tad slow but the place was fully packed. the servers were very nice. a real diner experience

always good for a poutine or a nice milkshake. great job guys! ................................................................................................................................

an ottawa staple. elgin street never disappoints at 2am! hobble your way over after a few pints. don't be surprised to wait in line (it moves fast though!).

good comfort food. almost everything we have ordered has been good from salads, desserts, breakfasts and main courses. if you are looking for a good meal, with in our experiences good friendly staff , you won't be dissapointed. the rice pudding is amazing and huge!!!

the following events took place christmas morning

the food was good yet the service was absolutely atrocious from the red headed server in his mid 40's who was working the section at the front window christmas day.
#1- i attempted to order more food and he walked away mid conversation as if i wasn't allowed to order it. i was speechless
#2- never re-filled the coffee. we had to ask the bussboy that delivered our food. he went and told our server, the server just nodded and never came over as he continued his conversation with another server while leaning on the debit counter.
#3-never came to check if our food was ok
#4- elbowed my companion in the head while clearing dishes and did not utter a word of apology or even excuse himself!
absolutely atrocious service!
merry christmas!

awful service. sat for twenty minutes waiting for the "server" to come back to take my order. i usually chose between two items, traditionally, so ordering is pretty seamless for me. sad that i never even got a chance to place one.

while normally a busy place, wasn't any more busy than usual today. ponderous.

i remember living just off elgin and going here with friends after drinking or studying all night. nothing, and i mean nothing, beats their esd poutine when its 2am, -20 outside, and youre drunk or exhausted and super hungry. the sentimental value esd holds for myself and a lot of young folks living in downtown ottawa probably eclipses how good the food actually is lol.

ive been a few times during regular hours and its pretty good as well. especially for a 24hr diner.